Year of Reckoning: Emergence

By: Barbara Gilbert

Narrated by: Steven Heinke

A sense of unrest is growing among the descendants of those who survived the asteroid impact.
It's been 230 years since it hit earth.
Some feel it’s time to leave the retrofitted mine.
The mayor enforces the old rules. Only when he feels it's safe will anyone go topside.
That’s despite the breakdowns and crop failures.
So, the rebellion begins.
The rebels have spent years preparing and gathering supplies. They are hoping to escape soon.
Will they find a way out?
Will they be able to survive topside?
No one is sure, but they plan on trying.

©2025 Barbara J Gilbert (P)2025 Barbara J Gilbert

Fear of the unknown above with the decay & unrest!

Year of Reckoning: Emergence by Barbara Gilbert tells a powerful story of survival and defiance generations after an asteroid reshaped Earth. Steven Heinke’s narration fits the tense, uncertain atmosphere as the people trapped underground start to question their way of life. I liked how the story showed both the hope and the danger in choosing freedom over safety.

can we really work together for the greater good

i listen/read quite a lot of post apocalyptical fiction, and you know what, i was always expecting the worse to happen, in the end this book was closer to the last tribe or many of jacqueline druga stories and that was quite refreshing. There are very few post apocalyptical books that you can say that have an happy ending, and you know what, you have that here, and it was such a good feeling. This book has a feel and reminds me of the series silo and a great deal of the story takes place in a underground bunker where people have been surviving for generation, but with this generation, people want to go back to the outside and feel those things that they can only read in books or watch in videos, saved from the internet...

We have different time lines in the book and all converge to tell a story about the survivors of this world, maybe some dont have a blood connection but the spirit feels the same. We got to learn how the bunker got to be, what led to it, and what people are willing to do or were willing to do, just to survive the end of the world, there are very good people in this book, and there is also very screwed people that deserve all the bad that could come to their way... and what pleased me the most and surprised me was... who came to aid and were not the bad guys haha but that is for me to know and for you to find out.

I liked the story, only the reading was not spot on for me, but it wasnt really a deal breaker at this time. And if you like post apocalyptic stories where people fight to change their situation, and people really work together... yeah grab a copy and listen for yourself and try it out.

I've got a free Audible code from StoryOrigin and this is my honest opinion.

After The Asteroid Fell

This was my first experience with this author's work, and I was enthralled by the story. I felt for the generations of descendants who had lived their whole lives in the mines. I understood their desire to leave the mines as the life-saving processes in place were beginning to break down. I was angered by the actions of the mayor. I liked all the twists and turns. I'm looking forward to more stories from this author. I thought Steven Heinke's narration was great, and his performance kept my attention. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

Fell a little flat for me.

I love a good post-apoc read, and this one seemed like it’d be exciting.

Now, having read it, exciting isn’t a word I’d use. It isn’t bad by any means, but it’s slow-paced and full of ‘telling’ writing style. Sadly, my brain seems to need ‘showing’ in order to really get lost, otherwise it’s too slow-paced for me.

This one fell a bit flat for me. 3 stars.


🎧 Audio:
Decent audio production, sound quality could’ve been a bit cleaner but no major complaints and the narration was okay.